The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 180 Isolation
One person's strength is limited, just like a chopstick that can be easily broken.

But if it's a set of chopsticks, then it's a different story.

So, while Bill, Eric, and the flight attendants had limited abilities in the cabin, they easily located the rather suspicious suitcase with the cooperation of the flight attendants and all the passengers.

Especially after Nancy checked all the passengers' luggage one by one.

This method essentially eliminates the possibility that Kelvin Nash had accomplices.

They also found the most suspicious suitcase, because after checking all the passengers' luggage, the black canvas bag was found to be unclaimed.

And there was also an extremely faint electronic hum. In the silent space, the extremely faint electronic hum could not be hidden from those who were paying attention.

Once the bomb was found, everything became simple.

Before the specific details of the bomb were confirmed, Bill, with the help of Nancy and her team of flight attendants, quickly evacuated all passengers to business class.

Neither Bill nor Eric dared to touch the black canvas bag, lest this unnecessary action cause the suspicious bomb to suddenly explode.

Even without Bill, the air marshal, explaining, Eric was already wondering about it, judging from his outward appearance.

Damn it, he was starting to doubt his own eyes.

Before him lay a cast-in-place, perfectly sealed lead-gray metal shell, clearly a physical reinforcement by Kelvin Nash for electromagnetic shielding and to prevent external scanning and violent dismantling.

There's no other way.

He was not a professional bomb disposal expert, and the aircraft lacked specialized tools and protection, making the success rate extremely low.

Eric and Bill exchanged a glance, and Eric could see the melancholy that flashed in Bill's eyes.

Very well, Bill is in the same situation as him.

This is clearly not something they can solve.

“We have no choice but to establish an isolation zone,” Bill said in a deep voice.

Eric nodded: "It seems we have no other choice."

"Keep quiet, take a deep breath, trust the air marshals, we are handling this." Nancy and other flight attendants began to demonstrate their professionalism in business class amidst extreme fear, using body language and brief instructions to reassure passengers, especially those near the restricted area and those who had witnessed part of the process.

Eric assisted Bill, and together they worked extremely slowly and steadily to move the black canvas bag to the location on the plane that was least likely to cause structural damage and furthest from the crowds and critical systems.

That is, the empty space behind the last row of seats at the rear of the aircraft, near the rear service compartment.

Eric watched as Bill safely placed the black canvas bag in the corner, and he made up his mind that he would never fly again.

Being at 10,000 meters altitude is still not as reassuring as being on the ground.

Damn it, even though he and Bill were just moving a black canvas bag, every step they took was incredibly stressful, because if that bomb exploded, everyone would die.

Moreover, completing this step was not enough; Eric also had to work with Bill to establish an emergency reinforced quarantine zone.

Quickly find any available materials, such as blankets, pillows, and cushions, and wrap them around the black canvas bag very carefully, layer by layer, and secure them gently with tape or rope.

According to Bill, this was to absorb as much shock wave and fragmentation as possible when the bomb exploded, protecting surrounding passengers and critical aircraft structures, especially the fuselage skin and keel.

He did learn something, but if he could, he would rather never have to use that knowledge.

Eric, feeling helpless and resentful, had to work with Bill to use seats and passengers' suitcases to build up a makeshift barrier along the edge of the isolation area.

“Now it’s up to the cockpit,” Bill said in a deep voice, wiping the sweat from his brow. Eric, recalling the waypoints he had noted down before departure, said, “There are still twenty-three minutes left, that should be enough time, but I don’t know if that time will be accurate.”

Upon hearing this, Bill looked at Eric, and after exchanging a glance, they both chuckled.

But Bill knew this wasn't the time to relax. He nodded to Eric, and a moment later, his voice rang out again:

"Suspicious item found, quarantined! Everyone stay put! Remain absolutely quiet! Any tremor could be fatal! Trust us and the ground experts!"

However, in Eric's view, the effect was very limited.

Because these passengers weren't stupid; they could tell what was going on at a glance.

For a moment, the business class cabin felt like a microcosm of life.

Some passengers were gripped by extreme fear; some sobbed quietly, while others prayed.
Even with the flight attendants' best efforts to calm things down, the atmosphere remained extremely tense.

Eric randomly found an aisle seat in the back of business class, fastened his seatbelt, and sat down.

At this point, he has basically done everything he was supposed to do.

Now it's a matter of leaving it to fate.

When an aircraft collides, the nose usually hits the ground first, while the tail receives relatively less impact.

It is said that the rear cabin area, especially the aisle seats, has a slightly higher survival rate in some plane crashes.

But thinking about this, Eric couldn't help but curse under his breath, cursing his damn luck.

He really just wanted to find a girlfriend and relax.

-

While Eric was having a good time, the atmosphere in the cockpit was quite oppressive and heavy.

Because in Bill's subsequent notification, they all knew that the bomb package had been found, and that last shred of hope vanished.

The only solution is to find an alternate airport to land at as soon as possible.

Fortunately, it was a domestic flight, from Los Angeles to Washington Dulles International Airport, with more than 100 alternative airports available along the way.

If you were to fly abroad, over the Pacific Ocean, you would truly be leaving your fate to chance, searching for a glimmer of hope in a dead end.

Fortunately, there are still twenty or thirty minutes left before the bomb explodes.

This can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

After Captain Ke Ao and First Officer Yi Wen switched to autopilot mode, they anxiously awaited further instructions from air traffic control.

Over at the high tower, a state of martial law had already been declared, and the matter had been taken over by the head of the regional control center.

They cleared the airspace, ordered all nearby aircraft to immediately give way, and halted their ascent and descent to prioritize the distress flight! After ensuring that Delta Air Lines UA567 could fly without obstruction.

Based on the size of Delta Air Lines flight UA567, it was confirmed that the fire safety rating and runway length of the alternate airport, Philadelphia PHL, were sufficient. Contact was initiated with Philadelphia PHL, and the Emergency Response Team (EOD) was put on standby.

Then the FBI's counterterrorism division, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Airport Security Task Force (SWAT) were notified.

(End of this chapter)